Wedding Day
by jpscyther24
Summary: Kasumi is running late with the dress. Hopefully this doesn't ruin the day that Shepard has been waiting for since she destroyed the Reapers, marrying Garrus Vakarian.
1. The Wedding

"Dammit. Dammit. Dammit." Shepard was pacing back and forth in her cabin, sweating with the same nervousness she had when she first let slip of her feelings for Garrus. "Where the hell is Kasumi with my dress?"

"Ms. Goto is approximately five minutes out, Shepard." The tinny, yet soft voice of EDI floated overhead. "She was delayed momentarily."

"Delayed? Since when does Kasumi get delayed?" Shepard let out an exasperated sigh as the thought of Kasumi getting distracted by some hard bod entered her mind. "She better not have stopped to get some dudes number."

"Ms. Goto did not relay the reason for her delay, Shepard. However, my knowledge of Ms. Goto's previous actions leads me to believe that she would indeed have stopped to 'get some dudes number', if she had the time."

"This is bullshit, Shepard. I told you I should have handled it." Jack yelled from the couch, she was wearing a black suit, with a cobalt undershirt, and a purple tie that was hanging loosely down to her breasts. "I wouldn't have cut it so damn close. EDI, the second Kasumi steps on this ship, tell her to hurry her ass up.

"Understood, Jack." Jack wasn't completely sure EDI would follow through with that command.

"As much as I appreciated the offer, Jack, I trust Kasumi more when dealing with the stuffed shirts of the fashion world. Last thing I need is for you to blow up the boutique because they got something wrong."

"Still, taking the time to fuck some dude when we're already on a tight deadline isn't exactly helpful, Shepard." Jack took a drink of the 30-year old whiskey Shepard had given her as a maid of honor gift. "She could have at least brought him and banged him at the reception like a normal person."

"Sounds like someone's a bit jealous. Miranda not putting out?"

"Fuck you, Shepard." Jack laughed as she flipped off Shepard while taking another drink. A few seconds later EDI spoke over the PA in the cabin.

"Ms. Goto has just boarded the _Normandy_, Shepard. I have already alerted her to your annoyance, and per Jack's request, I told Ms. Goto to "hurry her ass up."

"Please tell me you said that over the ship's PA?" Shepard asked, hopefully.

"Affirmative, Shepard. Several of the crew found it...amusing."

Both Jack and Shepard burst out laughing at the thought of EDI telling anyone to "hurry their ass up".

"I can't believe she did it." Wheezed Jack through the bursts of laughter.

Just then the door to Shepard's cabin dinged and Kasumi, wearing a cobalt and purple dress that mimicked her normal tactical suit, came running through the door. "Sorry Shepard, got delayed getting the dress. And did you tell EDI to say that, or..." Kasumi trailed off as soon as she saw Jack was also there. "Nevermind. It was definitely Jack, wasn't it?" Even though she appeared to have worked up a rigorous sweat, Kasumi's breathing was as calm as ever.

"Not telling you, unless you tell me what his name was?" Shepard coyly asked as she yanked the dress out of Kasumi's hands, removed it from the cleaner bag and began to put it on.

"Don't know. Didn't ask. Didn't do too much talking." A smile had creased the corner of her mouth.

"That explains the sweatiness. Please tell me…" Kasumi cut her off before she could finish her question.

"Relax, I did it _before_ I got your dress. No chance in hell I would risk ruining the wedding dress of the most bad ass woman in the galaxy."

"But being late…"

"Is a pain in my ass." Interjected Jack before Kasumi could reply.

"Is incredibly fashionable. Like that dress." Retorted Kasumi has she gave Jack a side-eyed look. Jack responded with a middle finger and another drink of whiskey.

Shepard had finally finished putting on her dress. A backless mermaid-style dress, the body was cobalt blue, with navy striping, the same shade as Alliance dress blues, along the side from the waist down. A purple train, that was clasped at her waist in the front, and at the small of her back, flowed like a violet waterfall that pooled into a violet pond at her feet. Shepard gave a twirl, the waterfall transforming into a wild violet flower. As Shepard finished her twirl, the flower slowly fell back into the waterfall and pooled at her feet.

"Holy shit, Shepard…" Jack stared as Shepard looked over her wedding dress in the mirror.

"It's beautiful. Garrus is going to lose his mind." Shepard began to make sure the twirl had not messed up her hair, which was tied into a loose bun. The same way her hair had been when she first met Garrus. Shepard noticed through the mirror that Kasumi was staring at her with a little more than friendly admiration. "See something you like, Kasumi?" Shepard turned, a wide smile on her face, placing her hands on her hips, cocking them, and raising her eyebrows.

"Just admiring the view, Shepard. That's all. You know I prefer men. Although...that's not to say I wouldn't be willing, if the right woman asked." Kasumi said with a bit of laughter in her voice.

"Not a chance, Ms. Goto." Shepard turned back around to admire the dress more. "EDI, how much time do we have?"

"A few minutes, Shepard."

"Thanks, EDI. Kasumi, head on down. Jack will make sure I get down there. Thanks again for the dress. You'd make a pretty great fashion designer, you know." Shepard continued to twirl in the dress as she spoke.

"I know. But thievery is my real passion. Not to mention better pay. See you down there." Kasumi stole one more look at Shepard as the cabin doors slid shut behind her.

"What do you think, Jack? I know you're not big into dresses, but you are my maid of honor. So I want your honest opinion." Shepard had turned to face Jack and held the train of her dress in her hands, pulling it up slightly to show it off.

"Logan." Jack stood and walked over to Shepard, placing her hands on Shepard's shoulders. Jack, along with Garrus, were the only ones Shepard allowed to call her by her given name. "You look great. Garrus is gonna flip when he sees you. Now can we cut the emotional shit before I start crying?" Jack tilted her head toward the cabin door.

"Thanks, Jennifer." Shepard was also the only one allowed to call Jack by her birth name. Aside from Liara, but that was because she was the one who found Jack's birth name. However, due to either respect, fear, or a bit of both, Liara refrained from calling her Jennifer. Most of the time. "Shall we then?" Shepard offered her arm to Jack.

"Let's get you married. And then we can party. It might even rival that post-war party you had at the apartment. That night was fun as hell." Jack hooked Shepard's arm and escorted her to the elevator.

"Speaking of, how're things with you and Miranda?" Shepard asked as the elevator doors closed.

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but things are...good. And I mean emotionally. Physically it's always…"

"I don't need those details, Jack." Shepard waved her free hand in a dismissive manner that signaled for that line to be done.

"Sorry, I just never thought I'd find something like what you and Garrus have. And especially with the Cerberus cheerleader._._" Jack ran her hand nervously over her hair, which was tied back in her usual ponytail. "But we're doing good. Thanks again for pushing us to get to know each other better. I, _we_, really appreciate it." Jack hesitated for just a moment. "And if you tell anyone…"

"I know, I know. You'll flay me alive." Shepard gave Jack a small jab in the ribs with her elbow and smiled. The elevator doors opened to the shuttle bay shortly after. The soft sounds of the piano began playing from the PA as soon as they stepped off the elevator. It was the song Liara once played shortly after Anderson left Shepard his apartment.

"I can't believe Liara remembered how much I loved this song." Shepard gently wiped away the tears that were beginning to form.

As Jack and Shepard made their way to the back of the shuttle bay, it's door open to the cool breeze of a springtime earth, Shepard looked around at the crew who had gathered for the wedding. Westmoreland and Campbell, the guards who were stationed at the entrance to the War Room, both now Corporals, after glowing commendations from Shepard and Garrus. To other crew members who names she could almost remember. Mostly because they were in dress blues and not at their normal stations. Shepard then noticed Admiral Hackett sitting among the regular crew, rather than with the more esteemed crew toward the front. Daniels and Donnelly, who Shepard pushed to admit their feelings for each other. Only to eventually wander in on them in a state of partial undress down in the belly of engineering. _Man the look on their faces. Even better when I told them, 'about damn time'._ Shepard also saw Karin Chakwas and Samantha Traynor.

Shepard noticed that even Doctor Chloe Michel had made the trip. She was sitting up near the front along with Karin and Traynor. _First time I met Dr. Michel, Garrus shot the asshole who had taken her hostage, nearly took her head off in the process. Turns out he was just that good a shot._ Reminded of Garrus, she looked straight ahead, Garrus was standing in the center of the small arch way erected for the ceremony. Wearing a black suit with white accent markings that went from the shoulders, to down across his chest and back. Shepard noticed that everyone was wearing matching suits, dresses, or armor depending on what side of the arch they were on. To his left, the groomsmen: Wrex, Grunt, Zaeed, James, Cortez, and Javik. To his right, the bridesmaids, and in the case of Joker, bridesman: Liara, Kasumi, Tali, Miranda, and Joker. Standing behind Garrus, was Kaiden. When Kaiden learned the wedding would take place on the _Normandy_, he immediately requested to be able to preside over the ceremony. Shepard accepted without hesitation.

Jack and Shepard arrived at the archway, with Jack heading over to join the rest of Shepard's bridal party. Shepard turned to face Garrus, and as she took his hands in hers, she noticed the subtle quiver in his mandibles. The same nervous quiver he showed after Shepard asked if he wanted to test his reach...and her _flexibility._ Or when Shepard awoke from her coma after destroying the Reapers. That same quiver that betrayed the calm and collected poise when Garrus asked Shepard to marry him. That subtle quiver would always be one of Shepard's favorite things about Garrus. Unless you knew how to read and understand turian facial movements and sub-harmonics, you'd never even notice it. It was something private between the two of them. No matter how famous they became across the galaxy.

"Wow...Shepard...you…" Apparently the dress had worked it's magic. Garrus was speechless. Shepard didn't need to be able read turian facial expressions to know what Garrus was thinking.

"I take it you like the dress?" Shepard leaned in and whispered so only Garrus could hear her. "Just wait until I twirl in it. Then you'll really lose your mind." She kissed him on his scarred cheek and leaned back.

Kaiden let out a clearly fake, attention grabbing cough. "If you two are done flirting, I'm sure you'd still like to be married. Unless you want to skip straight to the honeymoon." Kaiden cocked an eyebrow as he looked at them both.

"Sorry." Shepard and Garrus spoke at the same time, though neither seemed to be embarrassed about the flirting.

"Thank you all for coming." Kaiden looked past Shepard and Garrus, addressing the crowd. "We are gathered here today…"

"Really Kaiden. That cliched opening?" Shepard interrupted with a smile and a soft chuckle. Several people in the small crowd laughed.

"Very funny Shepard. Now can I get back to officiating your wedding? Without further sarcastic quips from _either of you._ Kaiden turned his head and gave Garrus a rather serious-like face, or what Kaiden could muster as serious anyway.

"Best behaviour from me." Garrus gave a look that Shepard could tell, thanks to sub-harmonics and facial reading, meant that he was only being half-serious.

"Uh-huh. As I was saying. We are gathered here today.." Kaiden delayed for a second to make sure no further quips would be made at his expense. "to celebrate the union of Shepard and Garrus, to offer your love and support to this union, and to allow Shepard and Garrus to start their married life together surrounded by the people dearest and most important to them.

"Marriage is considered by many to be one of the greatest and most challenging adventures. A challenge, unlike your previous adventures, that can not be tamed with epic displays of biotic power or a bullet from a sniper rifle. No, this challenge must be met with love, patience, and understanding in order to be overcome. Love, for each other that will help guide you through the dark days. Patience, for when anger and frustration are not easily abated. Understanding, for when you not only talk, but listen to each other, you will gain a better understanding of your partner. Making your bond that much stronger. We are having this ceremony today not only to witness, but to affirm the choice you have made to stand together as partners and lifemates."

"Now I believe you both wanted to say some vows?" Kaiden tilted his head, turned his hand palm up toward Shepard, as if to say "After you."

"Garrus", Shepard began, her voice faulting as she tries to hold back her tears, "Five years ago when I met you on the Citadel, I had no idea you would become someone so important to me. From our long talks on the Citadel elevators, to your growing need to calibrate the Thanix, to testing your reach, and to shooting empty bottles on the Presidium, every moment we have spent together I have treasured. Treasured like a jewel in the crown of a queen. A queen, who is finally happy to have found her king. And I promise to continue to treasure those moments, and every moment yet to come, until I'm nothing more than a speck of dust, floating on the winds of space."

Jack moved up and handed Shepard a small cobalt colored handkerchief, which she used to gently wipe the tears and runny makeup from under her eyes.

"Shepard. Logan." Garrus' voice sounded even and unchanged. However, Shepard, who could easily hear and understand the subharmonics of the turian language, knew he was just as nervous as she was. "Before I met you, relationships were something I never thought of. Being a cop, furthering my career, always took point. But then we fought Saren. And it made me realize how wrong I was. For what was the point of being the best rouge C-Sec cop in the galaxy, if you didn't have someone to share it with. I never told you how I felt before you ended up spaced, just a few months after the Battle of the Citadel. But then you showed up on Omega, two years after being spaced, requesting help to fight the Collectors, I knew then and there I needed to tell you how I felt. But I never got that chance, I ended up in med bay with half my face blown off. And a few weeks later, before I could work up the nerve to tell you how I felt, you told me how you felt. You wanted to test your flexibility, and of course I was more than willing to help. And since then, you have helped me become more confident in situations outside my comfort zone. Which mostly means boardrooms and meeting halls. Because no matter how much I might mess up, I know you'll be right there on my six. I promise, until I'm spaced for good and with the spirits, to always have your six, just like you've always had mine."

"Beautiful words by both of you." Kaiden spoke has he wiped tears from his eyes and cleared his throat. "Shepard, do you take Garrus to be your wedded husband?"

"I do." Shepard reached up and ran her hand down Garrus' mandible.

"Garrus, do you take Shepard to be your wedded wife?"

"I do." Garrus grabbed Shepards hand and kissed the back of it. Like he'd seen in those old movies Shepard loved to watch. Shepard blushed knowing the importance of the gesture.

"The rings, please." Just then Sophie, the mechanical dog that normally roamed the Shuttle Bay, wondered up the aisle, a cobalt and purple pillow resting on it's back. Kaiden retrieved the rings and handed the small silver ring to Garrus, and the large silver ring over to Shepard.

"Now repeat after me," Kaiden gestured to both Shepard and Garrus. "I give you this ring, as a physical and daily reminder of the promise I have made, as well as my love for you." Shepard and Garrus slid the rings on each others fingers.

"Then, by the power vested in me, by your love, your friendship, and the Systems Alliance, I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss."

Garrus took Shepard's right hand, raised and twirled it above her head, before pulling her toward his arms, tilting her down, and pressing his mouth against hers. Shepard kissed him back and ran her hand between his fringe. A soft sound, a mixture of a growl and purr, imminated from Garrus. A few seconds later they leaned up, turned and faced the crowd, bowed, and made their way together, as husband and wife, back toward the elevator.

"We did it." Shepard hugged Garrus as the elevator doors closed. "Mr. Shepard." Shepard gave a short chuckle as she let go of Garrus.

"Don't you mean Mrs. Vakarian?" Garrus playfully shoulder bumped Shepard.

"Fine. Shepard-Vakarian. Oooh, I like the sound of that. Definitely going with that." The elevator doors opened to the top floor of the Normandy, where Shepard's cabin was located. Garrus and Shepard would be staying up here as the rest of the crew prepared the Shuttle Bay for the reception party. "Now that we've got some privacy", Shepard slowly began to slip the top part of her dress over her head and arms, "why don't we test your reach? And my….flexibility?" Shepard pushed the rest of her dress down and beckoned Garrus toward the bed.

"Best two-out-of-three?" Garrus joked as he removed his suit jacket and made his way over to the bed.

"You're on Vakarian." Shepard laughed and smiled as she pulled Garrus down to the bed and began to kiss him.


	2. The Reception

"Now that's the best way to de-stress after a long day." Shepard spoke as she rested her head on Garrus' chest.

"I do enjoy a good reach and flexibility test. And I'd have to say, you passed with flying colors." Garrus ran his fingers through Shepard's hair. A slight moan flowed out of Shepard. "I seemed to have found a weak spot as well."

"Keep it up and I might have to give you a pop-quiz." Shepard leaned up and kissed Garrus on his mandible.

"Oh, no. I hope I pass." Garrus replied with feigned sarcasm.

"Guess there's only one way to find out." Shepard threw her leg over Garrus and pushed herself up with her arm, straddling him. Shepard ran her fingers up the back of Garrus' head and through his fringe. Garrus made the same purring noise he made the last time Shepard did this.

"Oh, now that's cheating." Garrus was just about to toss Shepard on her back when a unexpected, yet familiar voice flowed from the PA system.

"Sorry to interrupt Shepard", spoke EDI, "but the crew has finished converting the Shuttle Bay into a reception area and are now awaiting your arrival."

"Thanks, EDI. We'll be down in a few minutes. Please let the crew know."

"Understood, Shepard."

"So for much that pop-quiz, then." Sighed Garrus as Shepard got off of him and began to search for her underwear. "Check near the couch by the model ships. I think I threw them in that direction." As Shepard looked for her underwear, Garrus also began to get dressed.

"You know what, forget it. I'll just get my dress on. It's long enough that no one will notice. Besides, one less thing to take off later." Shepard gave Garrus a wink and a smirk as she stepped into her dress that was in the same spot by her desk were she took it off earlier. After putting on her dress, Shepard went into the bathroom to check her hair and makeup. Thankfully, her smokey shadow and liner only look slightly messed up. Not enough to warrant redoing. Her hair however, was gonna need some love. "Ugh, my hair is a mess."

"Just throw it in a bun or something." Garrus, now dressed aside from his suit jacket, picked it up and put it on. "It's not like people are gonna care. I'm sure they expect us to look a little…"

"I swear Garrus, if you say 'tired or worn out' I'm gonna shove my brush up your ass." Shepard interrupted without turning around as she continued to comb out her hair.

"I was gonna say 'relaxed', but your point is taken. A few moments later Shepard stepped out of the bathroom with her hair exactly as it was earlier, pulled back in a loose bun. As if Garrus had never snapped the band holding it in place and ran his hands through it repeatedly. "Your hair looks perfect. Same as the day I first met you."

"Glad you liked it. Wasn't sure you'd notice, but that's why I chose it." Shepard extended her arm toward Garrus. "Shall we? Our loving crowd awaits." Garrus took her arm and they headed to the elevator.

Shepard rested her head on Garrus' arm as the elevator slowly made its way down to the Shuttle Bay. "I can't believe we finally did it. I'm sorry your family couldn't make it. I really wanted to meet them. Hopefully we can get the Apien Crest relay up and running again soon. It only took us a few months to get the Sol relay working again."

"Yeah, me too. It's not like we don't have the knowledge or means, it's the time it takes to travel between systems without the relays. I can't spare the time to see them, and they're helping with the cleanup efforts on Palavin. It's just…" Garrus hung his head and sighed deeply. "It's been so long since I've seen them Shepard."

"I know. I promise, as soon as the Apien Crest relay is functional, we'll go visit your family." Shepard spoke as she raised Garrus' head up with her finger and stared him in the eyes. "I mean it. Doesn't matter what else is going on, as soon as that relay is fixed, vacation time on Palavin."

"Thanks, Shepard. I…"

"You don't have to say anything. Also, I love you too." Shepard kissed him as the elevator slowed, signaling they had reached the Shuttle Bay.

As the elevator doors opened a moment later, Shepard and Garrus stepped out into the Shuttle Bay. While the bay had been cleared of the shuttles, Atlases, and James' small gym for the wedding, Shepard just now noticed that temporary floors, tables, and seating had been added to those areas. Lights were strung up all along the bay, giving a soft orange-yellow glow to the various metal surfaces. At the very back, in front of the open bay doors, was a set of five tables. Four of the tables seemed to be about six feet in length with two on each side of a single four foot table in the center. The tables stretched along the length of the bay doors. Jack, along with the rest of Shepard's bridal party were on the left. While Wrex, and the rest of Garrus' groomsmen were on the right. As they walked further into the Shuttle Bay, EDI greeted them.

"Hello Shepard, Garrus. I trust you like the decorations?" EDI looked like her same old self. Silver metal body, parted bob-style hair, and blueish visor relaying all sorts of information only perceptible to an AI. "The crew wanted to surprise you by adding some decorations to the Shuttle Bay. I was amazed with how fast they could move. Seeing as they are inferior to synthetics regarding manual labor." EDI paused for a moment, and when no one said anything she responded, "That was a joke, Shepard."

"Your jokes still need some work, EDI." Replied Shepard, now chuckling at EDI's terrible attempt at humor. "And yes, I love the decorations. The bay looks incredible. I love the way the lights glow off the metal. It's beautiful." EDI escorted the couple to their table, along the way, Shepard and Garrus said greetings to everyone they saw. After a moment of waves and greetings, they sat down at the head table.

"Hey guys, guess what? I'M MARRIED!" Shepard yelled as she showed off her slim silver ring and started to dance in her chair.

"Yo, Garrus. How much did she drink while you were up there?" Asked Jack as she stared at Shepard continuing to dance in her chair.

"We didn't drink. We mostly...uh…" Garrus trailed off as he started to become slightly flushed at the current topic.

"Consummated the marriage, huh? Nice." Jack laughed as she took a swig from the drink in her hand.

"How about instead of talking about my sex life, we talk about getting some damn food", Shepard interrupting any further banter from Jack, "because I'm starving."

"Hey EDI!" Jack yelled across the bay to EDI, who was talking with two gentlemen who appeared to be handling the catering. "How much longer until food is ready? Shepard's getting hungry!"

"Thanks Jack. Ever so helpful." Shepard stared blankly as Jack took another drink.

"Anytime."

EDI walked over a few moments later. "Shepard, if you and Garrus would follow me. The food is ready." EDI led them to a group of tables on the side of the bay where the Kodiak shuttle would normally be docked. Two eight-foot tables ran down it's length, filled with standard human wedding foods. At the end of the second table was a small four-foot table, with a sign marked "Dextro Only". All the food was clearly turian in origin. Shepard noticed there were even containers with purified paste made from the same turian foods on the table. This was in no doubt meant for Tali. While it wasn't a lot, Shepard was still glad that Garrus and Tali has some decent food they could enjoy.

"Apologies for the small selection of dextro foods, Shepard." EDI spoke as she noticed Shepard's slightly concerned look. "There wasn't much dextro food on Earth, and with most of the relays still down, it wasn't easy finding more. We got what we could. Thankfully we managed to find someone who could cook turian cuisine, as well as purify and puree the foods for quarian consumption."

"It's great, EDI. I really appreciate you guys going out of your way to make sure Garrus and Tali had something decent besides dextro paste."

"This all looks delicious. Thank you, EDI. And Shepard, apologies, but I think we might have to push back round three of testing. I'm gonna be too full to do anything else but sleep after eating all this." Garrus began to load his plate with helpings from every kind of food on the table. He began to eat even before he made it back to the table.

Shepard chuckled as she watched Garrus eat and walk back toward their table. "Well, guess I better get some grub as well." Shepard loaded her plate with three different meats, a baked potato, various vegetables, and some dinner rolls. "I'm gonna have to work out twice as hard to burn all this off. But it's totally worth it." Shepard made her way back to the table. As soon as she sat down, EDI called for the bridal party to get their food. Followed shortly by the rest of the guests.

"This food is great. How's yours babe?" Shepard looked over at Garrus to see him devouring something that looked like an octopus.

"Wha.." Garrus turned to face Shepard, with the octopus-like creature still hanging from his mouth. Garrus slurped the rest of the creature into his mouth, chewed for a moment then swallowed. "Sorry, what did you say?"

"I asked how your food was. But clearly it's delicious." Shepard chuckled as she continued to eat.

"It definitely is. Haven't had food like this since I was in C-Sec." Garrus turned back toward his plate and began to eat another octopus-like creature.

"Well I'm glad you like it." Shepard said in between bites of her steak. "And I am definitely loving this steak. I don't even remember the last time I had food this good. Probably Gardner? He was definitely great at making good food out of shit ingredients. Hmm..I wonder…" Shepard began to wonder if maybe Gardner was the chef responsible for the catering. "Hey EDI, who did you hire to do the catering?"

EDI walked over from the catering table so she could talk to Shepard in person, rather than over the PA. "I hired a company called Gardner Catering and Food Service. It is run by former-Cerberus Mess Sergeant Rupert Gardner. I'm sure you remember him during your time working with Cerberus. Do you wish to speak with him, Shepard?"

"Definitely."

"I have requested that he make his way down from the Mess Hall."

"Thanks, EDI."

"Not a problem, Shepard." EDI walked away and headed back to the catering table to make sure things continued to move smoothly. A few moments later, Shepard could see Gardner step off the elevator. She waved him over to the bridal table.

"Hey Commander. It's nice to see you. Congratulations on getting married. And saving the galaxy."

"Thanks Rupert. And it's Admiral now, actually. So tell me, what happened after I surrendered the _Normandy_ to the Alliance?"

"From court martial to Admiral? Not a bad turnaround, Shepard. As for what happened during your court martial? Not much, most of us were detained after your arrest, those engineers...Daniels and Donnelly?..they were released shortly after the first Reaper attack. Pretty sure it was on your orders. They let the rest of us go shortly after the Reapers started invading in force. Not much reason to keep us around, seeing as we all might end up dead. So I hoofed it between refugee camps, cooking and fixing things, just like on the _Normandy_ . Managed to somehow survive everything. After the Reapers went down, I set up shop outside Vancouver offering to cook meals if people donated food and other supplies to the shelter I was staying at. Eventually became a pretty decent business. And now I'm catering your wedding."

"That's not much? Sounds like a pretty big adventure to me. Well I'm glad you survived. And so is Garrus. He's inhaled whatever that octopus thing is."

"We just call them dextropodes. They're remarkably similar to earth octopodes, just dextro-based. And the turian and quarian food was made by a turian refugee named Tiberius Kandros. He was visiting Earth during the attack."

"Did you say Kandros?" Shepard asked with piqued interest.

"Yeah, he's a good kid. Why, do you know him?"

"No, but I knew a Nyreen Kandros. She helped me take back Omega from Cerberus during the war. She mentioned she had a big family. He might be related to her somehow."

"He's never mentioned family much. Probably because he's not sure if any of them are alive, especially with being cut off from the rest of the galaxy. Would you like to speak to him?"

"I would love to. Oh, and this food is delicious. Even better than the stuff you made when you were on the _Normandy_."

"Thanks, Shepard. It's easy making fantastic food when you have access to proper ingredients. Let me go get Tiberius, I'll be back in a minute." As Gardner headed back toward the elevator, Shepard was jarred by a sudden elbow in her side.

"Was that Gardner? From Cerberus? There's no fucking way…" Jack was cut off by a raised hand from Shepard.

"Yes, Jack. That was Gardner. I'm aware of his past Cerberus connections, just as much as you are, seeing as we served on the same ship. EDI was in charge of the catering, and I wholeheartedly trust her judgement on this. Besides, we know for a fact Cerberus cut all ties with the crew on the _Normandy_ once we turned her over to the Alliance. If he tried to go back, they'd probably would have killed him or turned him into one of those pseudo-husks. Besides, do you honestly think anyone would dare attack me right now? My entire crew is here. The Alliance military is here. You'd have to have a legion or two of bloodraged krogan to even think of attacking me right now. So relax, have another drink. You've got nothing to worry about."

Both Jack and Shepard tensed for a moment and looked around. Both clearly expecting trouble to burst out of nowhere.

"You really like testing fate by saying shit like that don't you, Shepard?" Jack relaxed a bit as she went back to eating her food.

"Me, tempt fate? Never." Shepard's tone and facial expression dripped with sarcasm and mock indignation.

"Yeah, yeah. Just don't rope me into your next suicide mission." Jack responded while taking a drink from her whiskey glass.

"No promises." Shepard chuckled and took a drink from her champagne. Shepard continued to eat and talk with her bridal party for several minutes, until she was interrupted by a turian she didn't recognize.

"Apologies for interrupting, Admiral. I'm Tiberius Kandros. You asked to speak with me." He was probably about 6 inches shorter than Garrus, with whiteish blue markings on his face and frills.

Shepard stood and reached her hand across the table. "Pleasure to meet you, Tiberius. As you can see, my husband rather enjoys your cooking. He's had..how many dextropodes have you had so far, sweetie?"

"Probably about 6 or so. You did great work here, Tiberius. How did you find so much dextro food on earth?" Asked Garrus as he ate another dextropode, along with what appeared to be grey looking vegetables.

"Gardner and I have some contacts within the Alliance, as well as the Black Market, and we used them to get some proper dextro food. After all, no one wants to eat paste or protein bars at their wedding."

"Well I appreciate it. These are delicious." Garrus ate yet another dextropode.

"Tiberius, if I may, are you related to a Nyreen Kandros?" Tiberius' mandibles flickered slightly, either out of hope or sadness, Shepard wasn't sure.

"I am. She is my sister. Although I've lost contact with almost all of my family since the war ended. Some I haven't seen since before the Geth attack on the Citadel, Nyreen included. I assume she is another casualty of the war?" Tiberius looked as if the loss didn't phase him in the slightest. However, his mandibles flicked the same way most turians did when they were showing concern.

"I'm sorry, Tiberius. She was killed during a mission to take back Omega from Cerberus. Although, thanks to her sacrifice, we were able to take back the station and remove Cerberus from the station. And if you ever need anything from Omega, contact Aria T'Loak and let her know that Shepard sent you. She's in charge there, and she'll make sure you're taken care of. Just don't piss her off. It wouldn't end well for you."

"Were this Aria and Nyreen….close?" Tiberius looked hopeful at the prospect of someone who would have memories of his sister.

"They were at one point, however at the time of the Cerberus coup, they were not on speaking terms. But it was obvious something was there. Tread lightly on that subject though, Aria was never one to reminisce about old flames."

"Except Mordin, maybe." Garrus chimed in, having finally finished his mountain of dextropodes.

"Not helpful, you know." Shepard glared at Garrus as he leaned back in his seat.

"It's okay, Admiral. Thank you for telling me about Nyreen. While not the news I would have liked, I'm proud that my sister got the honorable death she would have wanted. Now if you'll excuse me, I must return to the kitchen to finish cleaning."

"Take care, Tiberius. And if you ever need anything, let me know." Shepard reached out her hand.

"Thank you, Admiral. And I may take you up on that. Enjoy the rest of your wedding." Tiberius shook Shepard's hand, turned and walked back toward the elevator.

"I'm surprised, he took the news that his sister died rather well." Garrus said with slight awe in his voice.

"He probably already resigned to the fact that his family is dead. Especially if he hasn't had contact since the attack on the Citadel. Seems like a good kid though."

A couple of minutes later, the sound of metal rapping on glass echoed through the din of the reception. As the echo continued to resonate, the idle conversations died down and looked up at the source of the noise. It was Jack, obviously prepared to make a speech.

"Most of you know I'm not one to spew sentimental bullshit, but I feel like I should at least say something." Jack turned toward Shepard, champagne glass raised slightly.

"Shepard, if it wasn't for you, I'd probably still be frozen on that prison station, bitter and angry at the world. Thanks to you, I'm respected rather than feared. I have a great group of kids who look up to me. That wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for you." Tears began to well up in Jack's eyes as she continued, "Hell, you even helped me cope with my past and move on, instead of allowing it to eat at me and make me even more bitter at the world. And probably the biggest change in my life, thanks to your encouragement, lead me to beginning a friendship," Jack paused and turned to Miranda, giving her a look that was confirming permission. Miranda nodded with smile. "and an eventual relationship with Miranda. Suffice it to say, you not only saved the galaxy, but me as well. And I couldn't be happier to call you a friend." Jack raised her glass high, the crowd and wedding party following suit. "So here's to your happiness, may it never end. Cheers." Everyone cheered and took a drink from their glasses. Jack sat down and wiped the tears from her eyes. Miranda moved closer and grabbed Jack's hand in hers, while giving Jack a look of admiration.

"That was really sweet, Jack. I know you're not one to share your feelings, but I just wanted to let you know I'm proud of you."

"Thanks, Miri. I appreciate it."

"That was a wonderful speech, Jack." Shepard had clearly wiped tears from her eyes, as her shadow was beginning to become smudged. "And it looks like you decided to go officially public with your relationship?"

"Yeah, we talked while you and Garrus were upstairs. We were both ready to announce it. And this seemed like the best time to do it. Hope you're not upset."

"Not at all. I'm so happy for both of you." Before Shepard could say anything further, the sound of Wrex clearing his throat forced a quiet that seemed as if the ability for sound to travel had been removed from the room.

"Shepard. Garrus." Wrex seemed more nervous than Jack had been. "I hate these sappy speeches. But I promised to give you one." Wrex cleared his throat again. "You both have been there, not only for me, but for the krogan. Saving us from Saren and his so-called "cure", to helping us find peace with the turians, and eventually curing the genophage. The names of Shepard and Vakarian shall be etched in the stories and songs of my people for generations to come. May your life be filled with as much happiness as shooting pyjaks with a tank cannon." Wrex raised his glass and took a drink, everyone followed suit.

"Great speech. And man, we had fun times shooting pyjaks in the Mako didn't we?" Spoke Garrus as he took a drink from this turian wine. "Although the best time was watching you throw up after Shepard misjudged a ridge and we dropped a few hundred meters."

"Just once, can we not talk about my driving?" Shepard replied in an exacerbated tone. "None of you ever offered to drive the Mako."

"Yeah, but you always looked like you were having fun, so we didn't wanna ruin that. Plus, if I was driving I wouldn't get to see Wrex throw up." Garrus laughed at the thought of seeing Wrex throw up again.

"You throw up one time in the Mako and no one ever lets you live it down." Spoke Wrex, clearly annoyed with the current topic of conversation. "Now if you'll excuse me, there's a bottle of ryncol at the bar with my name on it."

"We're just messing with ya, Wrex. No harm, no foul." Garrus smiled at Wrex as he finished his drink.

"Yeah yeah. I'm still going to the bar." Wrex got up from the table and made his way over to the bar.

"Of all the things to make him touchy."

"I mean, you do bring it up a lot."

"Because it's funny, that's why. He knows it's all in good fun." Garrus wrapped his arm around Shepard and pulled her close. Despite her slight annoyance with him, she always enjoyed resting her head on his chest. After a few minutes of cuddling, EDI came up to the bridal table.

"Sorry for the interruption, Shepard. But the cakes are ready."

"Fantastic." Shepard's eyes lit up as she stood up. "This is gonna be fun." She flashed a devilish smile at Garrus as she walked toward the food tables.

"Why was she smiling at me like that?" Garrus asked EDI as they made their way to Shepard.

"She told me to tell you it's a surprise."

"Oh, boy. This'll be fun then."

When they met up with Shepard at the food tables, dinner had been cleared, all but one table had been removed. Sitting on the lone table was a large three-tiered cake. Each layer had a different design, each clearly defining the lives of Shepard and Garrus. The bottom tier was split vertically, one side had the famous N7 stripe, the other, the C-Sec logo. The middle tier had _Normandy_ SR-2 written across it. While the third tier had the words "Shepard - Vakarian", with an Eviscerator shotgun next to Shepard's name, and a Krysae sniper rifle next to Garrus'. On top of the cake was a small figure of Shepard and Garrus dancing the tango. Next to that was a smaller cake with blue icing and a golden Archangel logo on the top.

"The big one is levo, the small one is dextro." Shepard pointed out to Garrus. "This is part of a human wedding tradition, we feed each other a piece of cake. I thought it'd be fun to do."

"Oh, well that's not so bad. And I do enjoy some dex-cake."

After posing for the cake cutting photos, Shepard and Garrus each took a piece of cake. Garrus took a piece of the levo cake, while Shepard took a piece of dextro.

"Ready?" Shepard asked as she lifted her piece near Garrus' mouth. "In three...two..one.." As Garrus gently fed the piece of cake to Shepard, she did the same. And then suddenly shoved the rest of the piece of cake into Garrus' face.

"What the hell, Shepard? I'm gonna be smelling this cake for weeks. You shoved it right up my nose." Garrus reached for several napkins to remove the bits of cake from his face and nose.

Shepard was laughing as she wiped the bit of icing from her mouth. "Sorry, babe. I couldn't resist."

"Is this why you had that devilish grin earlier?"

"Me, with a devilish grin? Why Mr. Vakarian, I am appalled you would suggest such a thing." Shepard feigned offense and shock as she continued to smile.

"Oh, ha ha. Very funny." Garrus and Shepard headed back to their table with fresh slices of cake. "I can't believe you shoved cake up my nose."

"You'll find it funny later. You know, once you stop smelling cake."

Garrus gave Shepard a side-eyed look and began eating his cake.

Once most of the cake had been eaten, Shepard led Garrus to the dance floor. "Shall we tango?"

"Thought you'd never ask." Once Shepard and Garrus took their spot in the center of the dance floor, a slow synth-piano track began to play. As the couple began to move to the timing of the piano notes, the sounds of deep bass and violins swelled and matched the beat of the piano. Shepard and Garrus continued to dance, now moving to the beat of the bass notes. It was clear Shepard had taken lessons since their last tango, just days before activating the Crucible and destroying the Reapers. No longer fumbling across the dance floor, she was now confident in her dance skills, sometimes taking the lead from Garrus as they continued to dance. After a few moments, the dance finally ended as Shepard spun into Garrus, twirling together. As they came to a stop, Garrus tilted Shepard backward while Shepard arched her back. As they held this position the crowd that had gathered erupting into thunderous applause.

"Let's get this party started!" Shepard yelled as signaled for everyone to join her and Garrus on the dance floor.

"Great moves, Shepard. I had no idea you could actually dance." Joked Kaiden as he walked on to the dance floor.

"Oh, very funny. I can still break out the ol' Shepard Shuffle. Really make this a party." Shepard laughed as she began to twirl her arms in front of her while moving her shoulders back and forth.

"There it is. The good ol' Shepard Shuffle. Can't believe you would do that on purpose." Jack spoke as she bumped into Shepard.

"Pleasure to see you, Shepard. Very impressive with the tango, by the way. I had no idea you could dance like that." Said Miranda as she hugged Shepard.

"Yeah, took some lessons after we saved the galaxy. Thought it be fun to learn how to dance properly." Shepard laughed as she continued to showcase the Shepard Shuffle.

Shepard and her _Normandy_ family continued to dance, drink, and party long into the night, and well on til morning. When Shepard finally awoke the next morning, with her new husband by her side, Shepard felt more happiness in that moment than she had ever felt in her life. As she rose out of bed to get ready for the day, she began to whistle a soft tune and sang softly to herself…

_You were only waiting for this moment to arise…_


End file.
